Russell Crowe was 25 when he got his first lead role in a film, The Crossing. The Australian romantic drama, directed by George Ogilvie, centers on a young man caught in a small-town love triangle, with Crowe playing Johnny.
Crowe was born on April 7, 1964, and The Crossing was released in 1990. Although he was 26 when the film reached audiences, he was 25 when he secured and worked on the lead role—the distinction behind the trivia answer. The film was actually made after Blood Oath, which was released first and is often described as Crowe’s first feature-film appearance.
The Crossing helped establish Crowe in Australian cinema, but his major early breakthrough came with Romper Stomper in 1992. His performance as neo-Nazi skinhead Hando won the Australian Film Institute Award for Best Actor and brought him much wider attention. He later became an international star through L.A. Confidential, The Insider, and Gladiator.